(Strip Number 4713, Original Publication Date, 14 November 1986)
Panel 1: We mark the transition from Lethal Chef Elly to Competent-but-Insecure Chef Elly when she asks Phil how he likes his meal. His being quiet could be taken as a sign that he might not like the pot roast because she did not use enough salt.
Panel 2: She then asks if the vegetables are overdone or if the gravy is not thick enough.
Panel 3: He reassures her by saying that her cooking is good but he's too busy eating the food and also doesn't want to talk with his mouth full.
Panel 4: When John says that he throws in "yumm" noises to make her feel good, Elly glares at him.
Summary: What this tells us is that John seems to not yet fully internalized the fact that he married someone who lives to be praised for every damned thing she does. Once he stops making light of this tendency, he'll fully enter the Middle Years.
